Lust
by BlondMoments
Summary: Liara and Bishop passionately hate each other... or do they? This used to be a one-shot, but I've written some more to satisfy my bad boy obsession. Enjoy!
1. Part I

_Author's Note: This is me writing out my fantasies about Bishop, the Chaotic Evil Ranger from Neverwinter Nights 2. I have a terrible obsession with bad boys, like Zuko (from Avatar: The Last Airbender), Edmund Pevensie (from The Chronicles of Narnia, although he's only 'bad' in the second book), Damon Salvatore (from The Vampire Diaries)... and Bishop. So, here it is!  
If you read this fic before, the meat of what was intended to be a one-shot is now Part III. I expanded upon it a little. If you have not read this before, enjoy!_

* * *

**Lust, Part I**

_Liara_

Liara Me'Sol chewed on her lips nervously. In less than twenty-four hours, she would have to duel Lorne Starling, the brute of man who followed Torio Claven everywhere, hounded her like the Barbarian he was. Liara wondered what _exactly _was going on between them, and then thought better of her wondering. She felt sorry for Lorne, though. He was Bevil's older brother… how would Retta feel if she knew her elder son was caught up in this _evil? _Liara shook her head and took a deep breath. She missed Bevil, but more as a friend than anything else. The more she thought about Bevil, the more she believed that her foster-father, Daeghun, had been correct: Bevil would have only slowed her down.

She looked up at the statue of Tyr and sighed. She didn't worship this god, yet she felt as if He was watching over her in His temple. Tyr seemed to be the god the majority of Humans worshipped. He was whom the Paladins and most Monks looked to for guidance. As for Liara, she worshipped Mielikki, as many Rangers did. She was the goddess of the forests.

Liara's eyes dropped down to her slim hands, and she gazed at small scars which flawed her deep brown, nearly black skin. Daeghun never did learn who Liara's father was, but the race answer was easy by tossing a glance her way. He had been a Dark Elf – a Drow – and it showed. Esmerelle had been a Sun Elf, with yellowish skin and blonde hair, as Daeghun had described her. Liara's skin tended towards her father's color; and her hair was light blonde, nearly white; her eyes were a vivid orange, but not red. She was immensely proud of her Elven blood, even if her appearance made most people avert their eyes.

Despite her somewhat evil appearance, Liara upheld the law as much as she could, and helped everyone she was able. Growing up in West Harbor had been difficult, but after she left, she realized how much she had taken for granted. She could spare a gold coin or two for the needy if they asked.

She was still looking down when the priest entered.

"Your time for personal reflection has passed, and visitors are permitted. You have… quite the assortment of people waiting to see you. Shall I let them in?" he asked.

Liara smirked and nodded.

"Very well," the priest said, and left.

_I'll bet he's never seen so many different types of people in his life_, Liara thought. _Neeshka's sure to give him a scare._ In fact, most people were more scared of Neeshka than of Liara. Neeshka was part demon, and there was no hiding her horns or tail. Liara had bonded with her, though, perhaps because they shared the same misfortune of being judged by first glance. Liara thought of Neeshka as a friend… a best friend. A sister, even, though it might be too soon for that.

The first person in was Khelgar. He waddled in on his short Dwarven legs and smiled wide at Liara. She smiled back.

"So," he said, "are yeh prepared fer yer ass te git handed te yeh?"

Liara smirked. "Not if I can help it."

"'Cause I'se jus' thinkin' 'at maybe I could take yer place, yeh know…" Khelgar looked down at his feet. "I'd hate fer us te git all this way fer nothin'."

"Thank you, Khelgar," Liara said quietly. "But I want to do this myself."

"'Gainst 'at giant, Lorne?! Yeh gotta be out'er yer senses!"

"I have my wits about me, Khelgar. I know whom I am fighting, and I'll do this on my own." Liara swallowed inconspicuously. "If I let someone else fight him, what will that prove? That I am a coward, no better than _Torio_? I will not have that."

Khelgar sighed. "Fine. Suit yerself."

He turned and bumbled away, muttering to himself all the way. Sand showed himself in next, walking with a certain arrogance that only one who had trained in the arcane arts could.

"Okay, Liara. I whipped up some potions that could give you an edge in the duel tomorrow," Sand said quietly, his dry voice matching his name. He pulled out some small vials from the pocket of his robe. "This one will conceal you for a time, this one will make you faster, this—"

"Do you really expect me to cheat tomorrow?" Liara interrupted. "Sand, you _know _me better than that. I'm surprised you would suggest such a thing." Liara raised a white eyebrow.

Sand cleared his throat and pinched the end of his long nose. "Sometimes, the rules can be bent, _especially _when you know the other side will be cheating."

"I appreciate your concern," Liara said, "but I won't accept those."

Sand grunted. "Very well, let us see how you fare against Lorne on your own, then." He turned on his heel and exited with the same arrogance with which he had entered.

Liara rolled her eyes. She knew Sand meant well, but sometimes he rubbed her the wrong way. Liara chuckled aloud at the pun.

"Hey," Shandra's kind, alto voice hung in the air. Liara suspected she would make a lovely singer, if Shandra could find the nerves to do that. "You doing okay?"

Liara nodded, and stood to hug her friend. "I've been better, but I'm fine, thanks."

Shandra squeezed Liara around the shoulders, and her long, sandy blonde hair tickled Liara's cheeks.

"I just want to wish you luck," she said, pulling away to look Liara in the eyes. "You've done so much for me and…" Shandra's brown eyes looked glossy with the tears threatening to spill. "I… Be careful, okay?"

"Why is everyone acting like I'm going to die tomorrow?" Liara asked with a sigh. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Shandra bit on her lip and nodded. "I think Neeshka was after me." She left quietly.

Liara smiled when she saw Neeshka come in, and the two embraced quickly.

"I'm not going to _cry_ or anything," the part-demon girl said, her higher-pitched voice carrying a hint of teasing directed at Shandra, "because I know you're gonna kick some _ma-ajor_ ass tomorrow."

"Thanks," Liara said, and she meant it.

"And, uh…" Neeshka looked around and leaned down to whisper, "We can't have you dying a virgin, so don't die!"

If Liara's cheeks could turn pink, they would have. She couldn't remember how the whole party had learned of her virginity, or who had brought it up, but _everyone _knew. Liara had never really thought about having sex with anybody. There was no one in West Harbor in whom she had taken interest, and so she'd never seen reason to spend the night with someone.

"Casavir would deflower you, I'm sure," Neeshka said, and then laughed.

Liara rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

"You know he would!"

"Yes. I like him, but…" Liara glanced off to the side. Casavir and she agreed on almost everything. They had the same morals and such, but…

"He doesn't excite you?" Neeshka finished the thought. She began scratching her arm.

"Precisely. Casavir is nice enough, but that's the problem. He's just _nice._"

"That Bishop, though." Neeshka fanned herself, smiling. "If you don't claim him soon, _I_ will!"

Again, Liara felt her cheeks warm. Now _Bishop _was exciting. Sometimes, Liara felt his dark gaze on her, undressing her in his mind… and she liked it.

"Now _he _is not nice. He's a horrible person," Liara said, shaking her head. "I hate him. He enjoys killing people and he's rude and—"

"And?" Neeshka folded her arms over her chest and leaned to one side. Then she scratched her neck.

"And I'm totally attracted to him."

Neeshka giggled. "Finally, you admit it. I've seen the glances you toss his way."

Liara looked away to hide her sheepish smile.

"Well, I'll leave you alone now," Neeshka said. "I'll be watching you kick the crap out of Lorne from the stands tomorrow. And I think Casavir is nearby. My skin itches."

Neeshka showed herself out, and she was right – Casavir came in. He smiled at Liara kindly and took her hand in his. Liara didn't reject the hand-holding, but she didn't feel fully comfortable about it, either.

"You seem distressed," Casavir said. His voice was deep and full of concern. He rubbed her slim hand absently.

"I'm fine, thank you," Liara answered.

"You don't have to fight him tomorrow, Liara. I could take your place, be your champion."

Liara shook her head. "I already told Khelgar the same thing. I'm fighting Lorne tomorrow."

Casavir sighed. "You're being impossible. You could _die_."

"And so could you! But I won't die."

Casavir brought his hand up to Liara's face. "Liara, I—"

"Cas, don't." She leaned away from his hand.

The loving look he'd had in his blue eyes dimmed. "Very well," he said stiffly, releasing her hand. "I wish you well on the battlefield tomorrow."

Liara furrowed her eyebrows and looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." And truly, she hadn't meant to hurt him. There was so much _right _about Casavir. She and he could have a happy life together, when all this passed. So _why _was she holding back?

Liara cleared her throat. "Now is not the time to talk about this."

Casavir's smile returned. "Tomorrow, then."

"Until tomorrow," Liara said quietly as he left.


	2. Part II

**Lust, Part II**

_Liara_

The duel was to begin at dawn.

Liara pulled on the string of her bow pensively, hoping that today of all days it wouldn't break. She double- and triple-checked the quiver on her back, ensuring it wouldn't come undone. Though it was still dark, her Nightvision allowed her to see perfectly. Every small footprint and creepy crawler was seen, and all the noises were heard. As a Ranger, Liara had learned to take in everything – to listen and see all that she was able, and learn from it.

As she stood outside the arena, she heard hundreds of people inside, anxiously waiting for the fight to commence. Individual voices were hard to discern, but she _thought _she could hear some of her companions talking to each other…

Not all of them had visited her last night. Grobnar, Elanee, Qara, and Bishop were on that list. Liara disliked Grobnar and Qara, so their absence had affected her little. Elanee's was more surprising, but perhaps the Elf had been too preoccupied talking to the trees. Liara almost laughed out loud. Elanee was a Druid, and she was a prime example of the prejudice most Elves faced – the tree-hugging, animal-loving stereotype. Liara liked trees and animals well enough, but not in the worship-y way that people assumed. As for Bishop… Liara _hated _him, with a passion. He enjoyed killing, stealing, lying, and all other manner of terrible deeds. Yet she found him oddly… alluring.

Liara squashed that notion. Now was not the time for such thoughts. In the east, the sun's light was just becoming visible behind the forest. Liara leaned her head back and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply through her nose. If she could remain calm, she could do this. _Just keep calm, and stay focused… _

She heard Casavir's footsteps long before he approached. His full plate armor clinked in a certain way. Liara could tell who each person was by how he or she walked.

"Are you sure I cannot dissuade you from your decision?"

"Good morning to you, too, Cas." Liara didn't look at him.

"I—pardon me." Casavir smiled nervously.

"No, you cannot. My decision is final," Liara said firmly. When Casavir didn't leave, Liara turned towards him. "What more do you want me to say?"

Casavir smiled sadly at the Elven woman, and brought his hand up to her face. Liara did not protest as she had last night, so he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Liara closed her eyes and kissed him back, letting herself savor this pleasure for all it was worth. _Yes,_ she thought, _I do like him._ The kiss ended after a second or two, and Liara saw that the sun had finally risen over the trees. Casavir caressed her face once more, and stepped back.

"Come on!" a bearded human yelled. "Get in the ring!"

Liara took one more deep breath and headed to the gates.

"I hope you've rested and all," the man said, "because I can't let you walk in there with any spell effects or nothin'. You ready?"

Liara nodded, and let the man cast a spell on her which dispelled any magical effects she might have had. There were none, so she felt no different. Once inside the arena, she would try to cast every protective spell she knew on herself, and hoped that it would be enough.

She looked to the right, and saw that important people she knew were here. Callum the Dwarf was here, as was Captain Brelaina. All of her companions were here, too. Neeshka, Shandra, Grobnar, Sand, Qara, Khelgar, Elanee, Casavir, and even…

And even Bishop.

_Bishop_

_Why am I here?_ Bishop asked himself. Generally, when Bishop asked himself a question, it was rhetorical. That, or he would quickly answer it with some quick, snide comment and be done thinking. The answer to this question was not so easy. If he were friendly, he would have said that he was here to support a friend who might die in a few minutes. But since he wasn't friendly, that wasn't the answer. _I'm here to watch that Elf die,_ Bishop finally concluded.

No, that answer didn't sit right, either.

Bishop was getting angry at himself. Since when did Bishop the whoreson ever _not _know the answer to something? He felt… _confliction_. Bishop shuddered at the word. It wasn't… fair… that Liara had to fight Lorne like this, when the trial had gone in her favor. Pulling the 'since I lost the trial by law, let's duke it out in the arena' line was a blow below the belt… _Something I myself would have done_, he mused.

Bishop was sitting behind all of the other 'companions', in the second to last row. He watched as Liara entered the stadium, with her bow in hand. Lorne entered from the other side. He looked as if he'd gained another twenty pounds in muscle overnight.

Sand noticed the difference, too. "Whoever was on that side didn't dispel Lorne," he said, shaking his head. "Liara's in for the fight of her life."

Bishop looked back at Liara, whose face gave away no emotion. She and Lorne met in the middle, and the places they had entered were set on fire, so they couldn't get out. They stood, waiting for Lord Nasher to give the signal.

"Is the accuser or her champion here?" Lord Nasher called.

"We are here!" Lorne yelled immediately.

"And is the accused or her champion here?"

Liara answered, "I am here," in her most confident voice.

Judge Olaf – or was it Oleff? – said something about how the trial would decide who was to blame for the destruction of Ember – stuff Bishop knew already. It was boring. The two idiots walked to the opposite ends of the arena again. Liara had her bow ready and a hand behind her, waiting for the signal so she could grab an arrow. Bishop looked to the other end, and saw Lorne hefting his greatsword eagerly.

_There's no way she will win,_ he thought.

"Fight!" the judge yelled.

An arrow shot across the field faster than one could blink, and it landed neatly in Lorne's left arm. He didn't seem to notice, and he kept running at Liara. She began casting a Barkskin spell, but had to interrupt it to dodge a blow from Lorne. She had barely moved out of the way before he swung his blade down. Liara dodged and shot another arrow at Lorne's leg. It delayed him, buying Liara enough time to run to the opposite side of the arena. She shot another arrow, but it missed. Liara's instant anger was apparent, and she dodged again when Lorne arrived with a huge swing which would have removed her head. She tumbled under his legs, but Lorne swung at the ground, leaving a huge gash in Liara's leg. She screamed.

Bishop absently wondered if she would make that noise when he took… _that's an __**Elf**_, he reminded himself. _I don't __**take**__ Elves._

Liara nocked an arrow as she stood, and shot it at Lorne's foot. He was rooted in place, but swung his greatsword around and slashed right through the padded armor on her arm.

Liara was bleeding all over the place, and it looked like Lorne could keep going all day. _There's no way she will win_, Bishop thought again.

_Unless I do something about it._

He watched Liara limp as quickly as she was able to a safe distance from Lorne, and she shot an arrow into his shoulder. Lorne was still trying to pull the arrow out of his foot.

_Shoot an arrow? No – too noticeable. Cast a spell? Yes – less noticeable. But what spell?_

Liara began shouting in a different language, and Bishop instantly recognized the spell.

"_Él'ene véne vak'rróme_," Bishop whispered, and not a second after Liara's vines had sprung from the ground, so too did his. Lorne's feet were hopelessly caught in the plants. Liara paused for a second, but let loose two more arrows – both of which missed. Lorne cut the vegetation at his feet, trying to get to her, but the vines kept springing out of the ground.

"_Av'at morúna ceskah_," Bishop whispered again, and Liara's bleeding instantly lessened.

"_Naraht úndoque_," and he gave her a boost of dexterity.

_That should do it,_ Bishop thought as he settled back in his seat.

Liara's next shot caught Lorne in the throat, and he clutched helplessly as blood gushed out from his wound. Lorne slumped to the dirt and didn't move.

"NO!" Torio cried. "No, it cannot be!"

The vines retreated back into the ground, revealing a very dead Lorne. Liara stood, victorious, and her orange eyes searched the stands furiously.

Bishop stood up and left.

_Now, why did I just save her life?_

The answer, Bishop found, was alarming.

He didn't look back.


	3. Part III

_Author's Note: The point of view jumps around a lot for some of this Part, so I decided not to specify from whose view it is told.__ This is where the content gets iffy for teens. Sexual intercourse is implied, but not described._

* * *

**Lust, Part III**

_Liara_

After Lorne was dead, Liara had to wait for the formalities to end. Lord Nasher was saying something about how Torio would have much for which to answer, and how Liara was innocent of killing the people of Ember. But she wasn't paying much attention. Liara was looking through the audience, her mind moving quickly.

_The only people who know those spells are Elanee and Bishop. And Elanee didn't do it. Bishop did. He __**had**__ to have done it. But __**why?**_

As she looked, she barely saw Bishop exiting the stands.

_Guilty as charged. But why?…_ Then it dawned on her. _To piss me off, that's why. Well, it worked. He's going to get an earful when I see him…_

)-(

It was night when Liara was finally able to head 'home'. Her anger hadn't subsided, but had only increased as time had gone on.

Liara threw the door open so hard that it made a dent in the wall of Duncan's modest tavern, the Sunken Flagon.

"That wasn't cheap!—" Duncan protested, but he was cut off by Liara:

"You are so infuriating!" she shouted at her fellow Ranger. Her dark, pointy Elven ears twitched with anger.

Bishop lazily glanced towards the door, then back down at his dark drink. He knew she was screaming at him. She was always yelling at him about _something_. Generally, Bishop would have ignored Liara. But he _did _love it when she was angry.

"What did I do _now_?" his gruff voice asked in complete innocence. He sounded almost bored. He took another swig of ale, set the mug down, and wished Duncan would stock something a little more potent. Bishop knew _she _knew what he did today – Liara wasn't stupid. But it would be fun to make her pointy ears twitch like crazy.

Liara took a few menacing steps towards his table. "You went behind my back and _cheated_ for me in that duel!"

Bishop's eyes rolled up to Liara's neck, but didn't go up any higher. "Oh. That." Still bored. He let his eyes wander down to her chest, then he looked back at his drink.

"'Oh'?" She slammed her fist on the table, nearly knocking over his drink. Bishop grabbed it before he lost two gold pieces' worth of ale.

"Is that all you can say?!" Liara continued shouting.

"Hey, hey," Duncan said from behind the bar, trying to calm things down. "Why don't you take that somewhere else? Don't want the Nine busting in here after what you just said, Liara."

Duncan was right. If anyone outside of their group found out that Liara had won unfairly, she'd be put to death…

Bishop stood, and Liara lost her height advantage. Curse her Drow father and his damnable height. If only he'd been a Sun Elf like her mother. Sun Elves were tall.

"I was just leaving anyway," he said.

"Oh, no you _aren't!_ I'm in charge here."

Bishop sighed loudly. "Then can we at least go somewhere with less people? I don't exactly like being yelled at in front of everyone." He sounded annoyed more than bored now, and he looked straight over Liara's head.

"Fine." Liara marched towards the door to their rooms.

"But I want to hear this!" Neeshka protested.

"Shut up," Liara snapped, and turned to see if Bishop was following her. He was. She stormed all the way to her room, the very last one in the tavern, and shut – no, _slammed_ – the door after Bishop entered. She stood less than a foot away from him.

"I am so… I don't know what to do with you!" Liara threw her hands up in the air. "Why did you do that?"

Bishop shrugged and pretended to look bored. He was apparently preoccupied with something on the wall.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble I could be in?! You're lucky that Nasher and his advisers don't know how spells work!"

Bishop smirked in amusement, but that was his only reaction.

"_Why_ did you cheat for me?"

He made no movement which suggested he heard her.

"Well? I want an answer." She placed her hands on her hips.

Bishops dark eyes looked directly into Liara's. Her breath caught, and she immediately froze. Bishop _never _made eye contact… _ever._ She realized just how nice the shade of his brown eyes was.

"Maybe I didn't want to see you get killed out there," he said.

Liara swallowed uneasily, still in slight shock from the eye contact, and scoffed. "Nice try. Now what's the real—"

Bishop silenced her in a crushing kiss, which shocked Liara. She hadn't even seen him rush forward. Liara grabbed Bishop's short hair and forced him off her.

"What in the Nine Hells?!" She wiped her mouth and spat onto the floor. Liara looked at Bishop and slapped him across the face. A pink handprint formed on his cheek.

Now Bishop was angry. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her – not gently – to the wall. Why did he want to fuck this Elf so badly? He didn't even like Elves. They were all tree-worshipers and liked to think they were better than Humans. And this Elf liked to help the less fortunate. Bishop hated the less fortunate almost as much as he hated helping. But this Elf was _so_ damn beautiful.

"Listen to me, _Elf_," he said darkly, "That _was_ the real reason. And let me tell you something. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I care for you. And I'm taking your virginity tonight, whether you like it or not. It'll be a lot less painful if you like it." He pressed his lips to hers again.

Liara was terrified. She bit on her lips hard, refusing to let herself kiss him. Bishop _hated_ her – or did he? He… _cared_ for her? He'd cheated for her so she wouldn't die earlier today. And he'd just kissed her, was currently kissing her, and wasn't letting up. But this was lust, Liara told herself, not love.

She kept trying to push Bishop off of her but he was much stronger than she. Bishop's hands groped down Liara's back, untying the strings of her padded armor.

But did _she_ lust for Bishop, too? With dark hair and dark eyes, he was handsome, Liara admitted, for a Human. He was gruff and practical and took shit from no one, even if it meant he was a bit cynical. And the way he looked at her… Like she was a piece of meat, waiting to be devoured.

Bishop's cold hands made contact with her bare skin, giving her the chills. He pulled off the armor she was wearing.

Liara's lips hurt from biting them.

_I want him, too,_ she decided, and found herself kissing him back.

Bishop smiled to himself when Liara's lips finally parted. He bit _hard_ on her large lower lip, and smiled more when he heard Liara groan with pain. He unclasped her bra pulled on her tight nipples, reveling in her moan. _Damn these Elves and their slim figures_, he thought as he cupped Liara's small breasts in his hands and massaged them. Bishop forced his tongue inside her mouth, and opened his mouth wide, devouring her. Liara's arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer. Bishop quickly unbuckled his leather armor. He wanted to feel her slight Elven body against his, goose-bumping under his touch.

"I'm going to fuck you," he whispered hoarsely into Liara's pointy ear, "'til you're screaming my name. And we'll go again after that."

Liara was still scared. She had stopped resisting Bishop, had even returned the passion, but he'd only gripped her harder and hurt her more. She knew there would be bruises in the shape of fingers and hands all over her body tomorrow morning, but she didn't care. If Bishop had lied about caring for her, he'd lied. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been lied to. And this – feeling _Bishop's_ bare body against her own – _this_ was worth anything. Perhaps she did love him. She hadn't decided yet. _Forgive me, Cas,_ was all she thought of the Paladin.

Bishop brought his hand between Liara's legs and fingered her maidenhead, and Liara gasped at the sensation. Bishop inserted a finger inside her, relishing Liara's whimpers and moans. He tried to get another finger inside, but found Liara was too tight for it. That meant she would be too tight for him, and sex would be painful for her. Bishop smiled darkly to himself. He was going to love feeling her tight walls around him, even if it hurt her. Suddenly Bishop pulled her off the wall and forced her onto her back on the uncomfortable bed. He straddled her and leaned over her skinny body to whisper in her ear.

"I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I will."

Bishop had to remember that Liara was a virgin, and probably didn't know how this was done. He grabbed her thighs and pulled them against his sides, and slid his hands down her calves to make sure they were wrapped around his torso. He took a moment to observe his victim. The deep brown, nearly black skin, the orange eyes, the white-blond hair, the slim, exotic features… all characteristics of a mixed Dark Elf. And she was _beautiful._

Liara suddenly felt self-conscious. Did all men take their time looking at the women they slept with?

Bishop ran his hands down her sides, and her skin goose-bumped under his touch.

_That felt so good_, Liara thought.

"Getting cold? I can fix that."

)-(

_Neeshka_

"What d'yeh s'pose is takin' 'em so long?" Khelgar asked the Tiefling sitting next to him. It had been an hour, and the two Rangers had yet to return.

Neeshka smiled knowingly. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." She scratched her arm gently, afraid of how raw her skin would get if she scratched it too much.

"What do you mean?" Elanee asked Neeshka.

_Gods, the Tree-Worshiper __**is**__ as naïve as she looks._

"_Isn't_ it _obvious_?" Qara threw at Elanee.

"Not to all," Sand said in disapproval.

The door opened and shut quickly, and Neeshka turned around to see that Casavir had left. _Good. Now my skin will stop itching for a while._

"_What?_" Elanee whined.

Neeshka giggled. "Somebody's losing her virginity tonight," she said in a sing-song voice. _It's about_ _time!_

"Room's open!" Duncan yelled to no one in particular. He smiled to himself and shook his head.

Shandra shook her head. "After everything rude he's said to her?"

"Are you kidding?" Qara asked. "Haven't you _seen_ the way Liara's been looking at him for the past couple of weeks?"

"Bishop's probably banging her right now," Neeshka said, and she giggled again. "Man, oh man, I can't _wait_ to hear how it was!"


	4. Part IV

_Author's Note: Here it is! The fourth and final part of this fan fiction. This is not too far OC, I think. There's a little language, but no more than there was in the previous part.__ Plus there's more Neeshka, so I hope you'll find this entertaining._

* * *

**Lust, Part IV**

_Bishop_

When Bishop woke up, the starry light through the window told him it was only around two or three in the morning. Liara was still in bed with him. Not surprising, since his arm was locked possessively around her. Her breathing was slow and even, and Bishop knew she was still asleep. He wondered what had come over him to make him have sex with an _Elf_ of all things. He hadn't had _that _much ale, had he? Bishop looked at Liara – who could be seen only by her light hair in the dark – and felt his demeanor soften. _No, it wasn't the ale_, he thought. It was strange – this _feeling _he had when he looked at her. Like she was _his_. He'd slept with dozens of girls before and had felt no attachment like he did now. Bishop felt almost guilty for how much he'd hurt her last night. Almost. She had whimpered and cried when he'd forced himself inside her. But between those, he'd heard her say his name, over and over again. He had wanted for her to say his name – he'd told her that the night before – but it was the _way _she said it that disturbed him. Most girls he'd seduced would scream his name with pure pleasure, but Liara had moaned his name, as if she were _more_ than just attracted to him. Ridiculous. Bishop had _seen _the kiss she'd shared with Casavir yesterday, and yet… she never tried to leave him. Was it possible that she liked both of them? Casavir, the goody-two-shoes Paladin; and Bishop, the self-centered Ranger? It was absurd.

_She'll pick Casavir_, Bishop told himself. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out, and it alarmed him. Why in the Nine Hells did he care so much? He'd never cared this much about the other girls. Even when they'd told him they were knocked up – _How many brats have I left behind? Three, four?_ – Bishop would quietly leave and move on to the next town. Still, he tightened his arm around Liara, not wanting to let her go.

At that, Liara stirred. She shifted position, and then shivered when her skin made contact with cold sheets. She turned back and snuggled against Bishop, trying to warm herself up again. Bishop kissed the crown of her head but didn't say anything.

_Does she know who I am, what I __**did **__to her last night?_

A minute or so later, Liara woke, for real, this time. She opened her eyes, revealing orange irises, and looked at Bishop for a moment. Her eyebrows scrunched together for a time and softened again. Then she leaned in and kissed Bishop on the lips.

Bishop immediately felt on fire from the inside out. _How does she do this to me?_

Liara ended the kiss and whispered, "Thank you."

Bishop scoffed. He released his hold on her and threw the sheets off. His body trembled in the sudden cool air. "You shouldn't be thanking me." He gestured to the sheet they had slept on.

Liara looked down, gasping slightly at how much blood was on the bed. The sight of it made Bishop want to go all over again. She'd been so tight…

She looked back up at him with pleading eyes. "I don't care. You saved my life. And this… This was wonderful."

Bishop stiffened his jaw and looked away. "It was…" He wanted to say that, 'it was nothing more than lust,' but couldn't bring himself to say it. It was a lie, and he lied all the time, but this lie was different. He would have been lying to himself. And that was something he tried not to do.

He turned and looked into Liara's eyes. "It was the best night of my life," he said in his gruff voice.

Liara looked down.

Bishop's eyes narrowed. "Was that not good enough for you?"

She looked up at him. "No, I—"

"If you expect some kind of commitment out of this, you're wrong."

Liara shook her head. "That's not it."

Were those _tears _forming in her eyes?

_I didn't mean to hurt her… No! Yes, I __**did **__mean to…_Bishop could feel himself coming apart inside. If his heart were surrounded by stone, he could feel the outer layers cracking and splitting off, layer by layer, and it didn't just alarm him.

It fucking scared him.

He was Bishop, the callous Ranger who didn't give a damn about anyone. He was Bishop, the whoreson who took from others without giving anything in return. He was Bishop…

And he was breaking.

"I'm sorry." It was probably the first non-sarcastic apology he'd made in his life. "But I… can't."

Liara stood up and moved closer to him. "Can't what?" she pleaded.

"I… can't… do this," he said. Every word sounded as if it had to be forced out. "This isn't me. I've never cared for anyone but myself, and _you_…" Bishop looked at her and swallowed. "I… _care_ about you."

Liara bit on her lower lip and came closer… dangerously close, to the point her hard nipples were a hairsbreadth from his ribs. She looked at him kindly.

"People change," she said quietly.

"Not me."

She pressed her index finger to his lips. Liara's other arm wrapped around Bishop, and he felt the fullness of her tiny breasts against his skin. He felt like he was on fire again. _Is she __**hugging**__ me?!_ Bishop hadn't ever been… hugged… before. He stood there, paralyzed for a moment. Liara rested her cheek on his hairy chest. _Gods help me if she actually __**loves **__me_, thought Bishop. _This was… this was __**lust**_, he told himself. The word felt vile. It didn't sit with him well. He found he couldn't convince himself, and it made him angry. But… These few hours with Liara _had _been the best he'd ever known. Liara was different. Or perhaps _he _was different. Maybe it was a combination of both. After a moment, Bishop relented and wrapped his arms around her slim frame. Her hand moved from his mouth to the back of his neck, and she pulled back slightly. Liara stood on her toes and pulled Bishop's head down so she could kiss him. His body felt newly aflame and aroused. He cupped her face in his hands and slid one hand over her ear to tangle his fingers in her hair.

"You know…" Bishop said between a kiss, "pointy ears aren't so bad."

Liara smiled and captured his mouth in another kiss.

They didn't make it to the bed.

)-(

It was several hours later, and well past sunrise, when Bishop had finally decided that it was time to get up. He and Liara had lied together on the bed for a few hours, talking quietly, after a couple more rounds of love-making. He felt utterly exhausted and thoroughly pleased. This had been, truly, the best night of his life. And he knew what he needed to do. Bishop got up and began putting on his discarded leather armor. Gods knew he would need protection today…

Liara got up, too. She grabbed the band she used to hold her long hair and began putting it in a bun.

"Don't," said Bishop.

Liara looked at him in slight bewilderment. "Don't… what?"

Bishop closed the distance between them in a second. "Don't put up your hair. I like it down," he said, stroking her hair down to the middle of her back. Liara stood on her toes and kissed him.

"I think I need to… clean up," she said. "Don't wait for me."

After what he did to her, she _definitely _needed to clean up, at the very least.

"All right." Bishop yanked on his leather boots and strode to the door. He cast a lustful glance behind him before shutting the door.

He went down the long hallway, turned left, and proceeded down another hallway towards the main part of the tavern. He opened the door and saw the usual people here, Shandra, Qara, Neeshka, Elan—

Bishop was hit squarely on the jaw – whereupon there was a chorus of gasps – and he resisted the urge to scream out in pain. His vision swam. The impact sent him to the ground, where he desperately held his jaw, hoping the pain would cease. He was picked up by his arms, held upright, and kneed in the stomach. With the wind knocked out of him, Bishop fell to his knees, gasping for air, while holding his jaw at the same time.

"Get up."

Bishop tried to laugh, but it came out as a fit of gasps and wheezing.

"Should'a known—" he coughed. "Should'a known you'd be waiting for me, Paladin."

Casavir stood in front of – more like _over_ – Bishop. He was seething. "I _said_, _GET UP!_"

Bishop slowly found the strength in his legs, and stood. He still held his face, and he tried to wiggle his jaw – _wince!_ – and found he was able to. _At least it's not broken_, he thought. _I can't have my handsome self ruined by __**Casavir**__._ Casavir stood in front of Bishop, but the Ranger didn't look at him. He scanned the room and the things behind the Paladin: the various people, too shocked to do anything but watch; his ale on the table from last night, which Duncan had been too lazy to clean up; open chairs… if he could _just _sit d—

Casavir punched Bishop again: this time, he hit his left eye. It swelled shut within seconds, turning a nasty shade of purple. Instead of letting Bishop recoil, he grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the wall.

"You took her virtue!" Casavir roared, punching Bishop's cheek. Bishop bit hard on his tongue, and he tasted blood.

_Paladin's got a nasty right hook_, he thought. Despite the fact that the whole left side of his face was swollen, Bishop smiled.

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Casavir continued shouting. Bishop avoided his intense gaze. "Look at me!"

Bishop continued smiling, and only after he thought of what he would say did he look. Casavir's blue eyes burned with intense hatred. _This will be fun_, thought Bishop.

"What?" He coughed. "Sad that you didn't get to fuck her first?"

Casavir's body shook with anger, and he punched Bishop again. This time, he released Bishop, and let him crumple on the floor.

Bishop's laughter came out as a series of violent coughs. When he found the strength to stand, he spat blood and mucous in Casavir's face.

"Sad she didn't suck _your _dick?"

Casavir punched him again, and Bishop heard cheekbones _**crack**_. He groaned loudly, refusing to give the Paladin the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

"By Tyr, I _swear_, I will kill you right now!" Casavir said in a tone of voice Bishop had never heard him use before.

Bishop scoffed. "Fine. 'S not gonna change the fact that _I _popped her cherry."

Casavir turned around, looking for his weapon, since Duncan forbade anyone to be armed in the tavern.

"And you know what else?" Bishop taunted. "She _let _me."

"You _lie!_"

"Oh, no, my dear Paladin. She let me, and she _liked _it."

"_NO!_" Casavir shouted. He found his sword and picked Bishop up, pinning him to the wall again. He held the sword pressed against Bishop's throat, and snarled at him with clenched teeth Blood trickled down Bishop's neck, but Casavir didn't cut any deeper. He looked hesitant.

Bishop smiled, taunting him again. "Do it. Death would be a welcome release."

"Casavir!" Liara yelled. "For the gods' sake, stop!"

"What took you so long?" Bishop asked with a smile. Each word had let the sword cut a little deeper.

Casavir's face softened instantly, but he kept the sword at Bishop's neck.

"Put that away, _now_," Liara commanded.

Casavir didn't listen. Bishop was afraid to breathe, with that sharp metal scraping his neck every time he so much as flinched.

"I cannot," Casavir said sternly. "He… forced himself on you!" He looked away for a fraction of a second, and Bishop took the opportunity to kick the Paladin in the stomach, sending him into a table a few feet behind him. The blade cut deeper as it was flung sideways, but Bishop ignored it. Casavir recovered from his fall and charged at Bishop.

"I said _STOP!_" Liara shouted. She put herself between the men, and held out her hands, keeping either one of them from moving towards the other. Her long blonde hair hung loose down her back.

_Well, would you look at __**that**_, Bishop thought. _She came after all. And she __**is**__ a vision, with her hair down like that._

Liara took a deep breath. "Cas," she said quietly, "you can't kill him."

Casavir lowered the sword to his side, but didn't drop it. "What… did he do to you?"

"I think…" Bishop coughed and he spat blood on the floor. "That answer's private."

Liara glared at Bishop, and then faced Casavir again. "He saved my life. And he didn't force himself upon me."

Bishop almost laughed at Casavir's face, but knew better than to do so. Casavir looked from Liara to Bishop in shock and confusion. Neeshka snickered from the other side of the room. Other than that, the room had quieted down to just hushed whispers.

"Are—Are you saying…" Casavir stopped midsentence.

Liara slowly lowered her hands and took a step towards Bishop. She placed a slim hand on Bishop's face and spoke quietly.

"_Av'at morúna ceskah_," she said. Bishop felt all the swelling go down and the broken bone in his face was healed. "I'm _saying_," Liara said, stroking Bishop's face with her thumb, "that I owed him."

There were a few gasps – two of which were Shandra's and Elanee's. Liara looked back to see a still-shocked Casavir. His face made a series of expressions quickly – disbelief, confusion, hurt, and anger.

Casavir very forcibly cleared his throat. "So you're saying this was just a—a… a fit of _lust?_"

Bishop smiled. "That's _exactly_ what she's saying."

"A one-time thing," Liara confirmed.

"And… what of us? Yesterday…" Casavir's voice trailed off suggestively.

Liara neither moved nor spoke.

Casavir nodded slowly. "I see." He turned on his heel and left the Sunken Flagon.

)-(

_Neeshka_

That evening, while Neeshka was sitting at the bar next to Khelgar, as she always did, she contemplated the morning's events over a drink. What had taken place made no sense to her. Liara wasn't one to just… have sex for purely lustful reasons. Bishop, on the other hand, would. Several times. Maybe Neeshka didn't know Liara as well as she thought she did. That, or Liara had turned into a very sneaky Elf overnight.

Bishop had left not an hour after the ordeal. Casavir hadn't come back for several hours; and when he did, he headed straight to his room without a word. Bishop, though, was yet to be seen. Liara had been in her room, 'resting,' as she said. _Gods know she needs sleep after a night with Bishop!_ Neeshka thought. _I know __**I **__would if I had a man like __**that**__ in bed…_

The hallway door creaked open, and Neeshka knew without turning around who it was. The sudden silence which fell over the room was impossible to ignore.

"Hey," Liara said. She pulled up a bar stool and sat next to Neeshka.

"Hi!" Neeshka greeted, turning around. She noted that Liara's hair was down. "You can go back to your pleasant conversations now!" she announced when the room stayed quiet.

Liara laughed. "I love you."

Neeshka smiled and drank the last of her ale. She pushed two more gold pieces across the counter and Sal, Duncan's bartender, refilled her mug. One of the upsides (or was it a downside?) to her demon blood was that it kept her from getting drunk – not to her knowledge, anyway. Neeshka had never really tested just how much she could drink, but she knew she had beaten Khelgar in a drinking contest. She hadn't felt so much as a tingle in her fingertips before Khelgar had fallen from the bar stool, passed out.

"So," Neeshka said quietly, "are you gonna tell me about it, or what?"

Liara's eyes held a mischievous look, and she subtly nodded her head behind her, toward the walled-off section of the tavern. The two women stood and headed back there, but not before Neeshka hit the drunken Dwarf with her tail. He sat up and shouted something incoherent before putting his head back on the counter. Neeshka snickered and skipped to the table at which Liara sat. There was no one back here. Liara had a smug look on her face.

"What do you want to know?" she asked as Neeshka sat down.

"Well… how _was _it? I don't need all the details, but was it _nice_ at least?"

Liara smiled. "Better than nice. It was… fantastic."

"Hmm." Neeshka leaned across the table and asked, very quietly, "Were you serious about it being a one-night stand?"

"Of course I was serious," Liara said at a volume that could be heard by eavesdroppers, and she shook her head.

Neeshka raised a delicate eyebrow at her friend. "I never thought you had it in you."

Liara's eyes widened, and she gave Neeshka a look that said, 'Are you an idiot?'

Then it dawned on her. _Wait a second! She shook her head when she said that!_ Neeshka gasped quietly and chuckled. She smiled at her own oversight.

"I never thought you had it in you," she said again. The statement referred to something else this time.

"What can I say?" Liara asked with a shrug. "I'm a trick."

Neeshka smiled again. The duality of their words would have _anyone _who was still listening confused.

"So what's next? Gambling?"

The look on Liara's face was smug again. "You don't get it all, yet."

Neeshka was confused again. "Get… _what?_"

Liara smiled. "Can you tell me what time it is?"

Neeshka furrowed her brows and looked out through the large window behind Liara. "Sunset. Why?"

Liara nodded and stood. "Walk with me."

"_What?_" Neeshka whined. She followed Liara all the way to the door before Liara turned around.

"No, walk _with _me," she said, pointing at her feet.

_Oh_. Neeshka nodded, and understood that she needed to take steps with Liara. As a Rogue, this was easily accomplished. Walking _with _someone was vital to sneaking up on them for the backstab, or just for sneaking in general. Wherever they were going, Liara didn't want someone to know there were two of them. She followed Liara through the Docks District's alleys for a few minutes before Liara stopped so suddenly that Neeshka ran into her.

"S—"

Liara hissed.

Neeshka's lips closed quickly and she nodded.

Liara took a few more steps before turning down another alley. Neeshka waited, listening.

"What was that?" she heard Bishop ask. She would recognize that gruff, swoon-worthy voice _anywhere_.

"I tripped and stubbed my toe," Liara answered calmly.

"I thought Elves didn't trip," Bishop retorted.

"What can I say? You make me stumble."

_What is going on here?_

"That so?"

"Mm-hmm."

Neeshka heard several kisses, and she blushed. It was rude to eavesdrop like this.

"I didn't think it would work," said Bishop.

"But it did. We fooled everyone. You were such a trooper, letting Cas beat you up like that."

Neeshka pursed her lips. _Bishop __**let**__ that happen?_

"'Course I did." There was another kiss.

"Why?"

Bishop chuckled darkly. "You know why."

"I want you to tell me."

"Because I love you, Liara."

Neeshka almost gasped, but her hands flew to her mouth. Everything fell into place. Liara had lied this morning about it being a one-night thing. And when she told Neeshka it wasn't, she had assumed that they were going to keep going… out of lust. But this—this was something else entirely. Liara hadn't changed overnight. _Bishop _had! They knew what would happen this morning and _planned _it all out!

_Well, well, well,_ Neeshka thought as she tiptoed away, _things should be very interesting around here from now on._

* * *

_Author's Note: How many of you saw that coming? Did you pick up the little clues I left along the way? Grats to you if you did. I do have something else in mind for these two, but it's post-MotB and needs __**a lot **__of writing and explanation. I'm going back to focusing on my __**Alaynastair**__ fan fiction for now. :)_


End file.
